The College “To Do” List
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I chose to become.” Carl Jung
Finding the right college for your daughter can be one of the most intimidating processes for both of you
that will ever experience. Please remember to keep it honest, fun and enjoyable. Your daughters already
know how hard they have to fight to make themselves an opportunity to play.
Savor the experience knowing you only get to do this once.
Great luck and enjoy the journey! Jill
Freshman & Sophomores – Get your name out there. Reply to all colleges that are interested in you and return all
questionnaires. College coaches start their data bases on kids now! Write the letters that I have shown you at the
bottom, even if you have no idea of the schools you are interested in. Let mom and dad choose for now, but get
started.
Juniors & Seniors – You must attend to everything in this letter and it is urgent now that you get writing and
communicating with the college coaches. E-mail me if you have any further questions, but everything is pretty
clear.
By now your brain is probably loaded with questions on how to attack the college scene. Hopefully this flyer
will give you some solid advice for chasing down your answers. If you have any questions – please ask!
Why you choose a certain college should be based upon your likes and dislikes. Knowing yourself and what
you want will lead you to find YOUR school. If you want to travel – find a school that offers exchange
programs. If you want to join a sorority – find a school that offers Greek life. You should understand that if
you play at a top Division I, II or III program, you will be devoting a majority of your time to the sports you
play. If you are offered and accept Division I scholarship. . . They will in essence OWN you.
Develop your college list – make it as many as you want “reach” and “easy” schools)
1.Academics / Activities – can you get in? Once you are there can you maintain the level they will expect? Do they
have my major? Do I want big classes in lecture halls or small classroom experiences? Talk to your guidance
counselor and understand where you are academically. Learn about weighted and unweighted. YOU determine the
schools that will be interested in you, by YOUR GRADES. So you will either shut doors or open them with your
GRADES! Field hockey can open a door, but your grades must keep it open! Ask for letters of recommendation
NOW! Start a file on them, not just for college but for scholarship opportunities down the road. Know your SAT
and PSAT scores and GPA. Take the ACTS. Develop your extracurricular activity list! Get involved in your school,
community and even church/synagogue. Colleges want well rounded students!
2.Size of school – small( less than 4,000) medium (4 – 10,000) large (10,000 +)
3.Location - How far do you want to travel? Do you want your parents to attend your games? Do you want to be
able to get home or do you want to try going further?
4. Student life – Is this party school? Is it a suitcase school? Too academic? When you walk on campus so you feel
like this is it? You should get a feeling that this is MY school? What atmosphere are you looking to have in a school?
Are there safe and well lit dormitories and pathways to class?
Copyright New Heights Field Hockey Club – DO Not Reproduce without written permission
5. Athletics– Ask your coach (club or high school) where she/ he thinks you will fit in best? They will offer you the
best advice where they think you will be successful. In the end though - it is you that must decide what you want
to achieve in college. Do you want to be a National Champion? Or a Conference Champion? Both of the above are
noteworthy achievements. . . Which one is best for you? Once this is established – look for college teams and
coaches that emulate what you want from a team. Remember these are your teammates for 4 years!, and you will be
spending a major part of your college life with these girls.
A daily schedule (in season) collegiate sports schedule could be something like this;
6:00 Wake- early run
8:00 - 12:00 class
12:00 nap / lunch
2:00 - 6:00 practice
7:00 – 8:00 weight training / dinner
8:00 library
11:00 home to bed
If you do not love playing with all your heart, then you may want to look to play club or lower Division III level
programs. Playing in college is a commitment that you make that represents you, your family, your high school and
your club team. Represent your self with honor and pride.
Still confused?? Which school is right for you??
Go by the “broken leg” rule. Look at the school by itself. If something were to happen to you and
you were never able to play hockey again, would you still love where you are? If the answer is no. .
get this school off your list!
The College Visits
1. Go out there and look first – take road trips with your parents to get a feel for the schools you are interested in
and how far away you want to travel. Slim your list to 10 – 15 by spring of your junior year.
2. Then visit the ones you really liked on officials (paid visits by that school) The coaches are the ones that offer
those opportunities to you – at the Division I level 5 are permitted per student / athlete – Division III do not count
in that 5, and those Div III visits are not paid for by the college.
3. Make a list of pros and cons as soon as you leave that school on the ride home. The pros – what you loved. The
cons – what you didn’t love. For example; Did you love the girls? Are they like your friends at home? Did you love
the coach?
Copyright New Heights Field Hockey Club – DO Not Reproduce without written permission
Communication with the college coaches
Now is the time to reach out via letters and e-mails. College coaches cannot speak to you until your senior year and
they want to hear from you – NOT your parents, so get your name and information on their radar.
1.
Resume’ - You should have an athletic resume by now detailing your personal statistics and
accomplishments in sports (all sports – from 9th through 12th grade) It should be 1 page and include a
picture. Also include your high school schedule and club season / showcase and playing schedule if they
are available.
2.
Video – You should be making a highlight video. It should start with you standing or sitting and
introducing yourself. You should state your name, team, jersey number and colors. Then include snippets
of games. Not just the goals – of the action leading to the goal or the defensive play. College coaches want
well rounded athletes – so if you are an attacker – show them a goal and an assist, and how the play
developed. A defender should show interceptions as well as good defensive marking and positioning.
Lastly – give them your ability to handle the ball in a drill like setting. The futures “Illinois agility drill” is
an excellent choice. The entire video should be no more then 10 minutes! There are great examples all over
you tube on recruiting videos.
3.
When you respond or write e-mails – always put your high school / club name and first and last name in
the subject line. ( Jill Cosse – West Essex High School #4 / New Heights Club #17)
4.
Announcements ;
Pre - When you are attending an event – Festival, Disney, Indoor tournaments, and even clinics offered by
the colleges. . Always let the colleges know you are going – Let them know your name, team, color and
jersey number. They will find you when they make their schedule. Then add your name, e-mail and
phone number where they can reach you.
Post Event / After the event – follow up again with an e-mail. “Thank you for taking the time to come to
my game. Here are other venues where you can see me play.” And again – leave your contact information.
5.
Questionnaires – Fill them out. Even if you are not interested – do them. College coaches are friends with
other college coaches and they talk! They will communicate with each other and compare – if you are rude
to one – they will all know – if you do not return information, you may not get a second chance to look at
that school. If they ask you where you stand and you do not know . . Be Honest! Tell them you are
interested but at the time you may have a couple of schools you like more. . . Or I would love to take a trip
to see your school. They will be the ones that offer the official to you.
The Commitment
Once you put your word in writing (The National Letter if Intent), you are done. So make your choice
after talking to your parents, counselors and coaches. If you are very enthusiastic about a college and it is
your first choice, the college coach can offer you a spot on their team. They would only do this if they felt
that you fit in to their program both academically and athletically. They may also ask for your “verbal”.
While a verbal commitment is not as firm as a letter of intent, it still is a powerful tool. You should only
verbal when you know this school is your final choice.
Copyright New Heights Field Hockey Club – DO Not Reproduce without written permission
The NCAA Clearinghouse (Qualifications/ Standards)
You must be registered with the NCAA clearinghouse before you are able to take any officials college visits or
participate in any collegiate competitions. YOU are the only one that can register.
Log on to this https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/
Grade 9
Verify with your high school guidance counselor and the online core-course listing to make sure you are on
track.
Grade 10
Verify with your high school guidance counselor and the online core-course listing to make sure you are on
track.
Grade 11
Register with the eligibility center.
Make sure you are still on course to meet core-course requirements (verify you have the correct number of core
courses and that the core courses are on your high school's 48-H with the eligibility center).
After your junior year, have your high school guidance counselor send a copy of your transcript. If you have
attended any other high schools, make sure a transcript is sent to the eligibility center from each
high school.
When taking the ACT or SAT, request test scores to be sent to the eligibility center (the code is "9999").
Begin your amateurism questionnaire.
Grade 12
When taking the ACT or SAT, request test scores to be sent to the eligibility center (the code is "9999").
Complete amateurism questionnaire and sign the final authorization signature online on or after April 1 if you
are expecting to enroll in college in the fall semester. (If you are expecting to enroll for spring
semester, sign the final authorization signature on or after October 1 of the year prior to
enrollment.)
Have your high school guidance counselor send a final transcript with proof of graduation to the eligibility center.
Further Discussion Topics for Fall New Heights Parent Seminar
Differences in Div. I, II, III
The Collegiate field hockey experience
College Play days / Clinics / Exposure
Recruiting companies
Communication with college coaches
NCAA recruiting regulations - current and proposed
Verbal commitment, letter of intent
Scholarships and financial aid
Copyright New Heights Field Hockey Club – DO Not Reproduce without written permission
Examples of Resume’ s (1st example single sport athlete, 2nd example two sport athlete)
Copyright New Heights Field Hockey Club – DO Not Reproduce without written permission
Copyright New Heights Field Hockey Club – DO Not Reproduce without written permission
Example of Your Correspondence to a College coach;
(Introduction letter)
Hi Coach Simmons!
I am writing to you because I am interested in playing for you and attending The College of West Essex. I have
been following your team and I got to see a game this past September vs. Iowa. Your team looks great! I believe I
sent you my resume’ last year, but I just wanted to give you an update about me, as we are over half way through
our season.
ACADEMICS; I am doing fantastic in school this year. Currently I am taking an all honors schedule and I have
earned all A’s and B’s. I also re – took my SATS this past Saturday and will forward you those scores when I receive
them. I also love my genocide class and I am considering a major in History Education.
FIELD HOCKEY; We are currently 14 – 0. We just played an awesome game against Shawnee two weekends ago
and went into sudden death over time! I was selected to play in OT and we played great! Then we won the Essex
County Tournament against MKA 3 – 0 last weekend and we will be heading into the state tournament next
Friday. Once I get the full state schedule I will let you know in case you want to come see a game! I am currently
second leading scorer the team with 22 goals and 17 assists and had the game tying goal against Shawnee. I also had
2 goals against MKA and then 2 more yesterday against Warren Hills. Our team is currently ranked #6 in NJ!
EXTRACURRICULAR; I am leader of my youth group at Caldwell Methodist Church and I sit on our student
council at West Essex, where we do a ton of excellent things to help our local communities. Our team played this
past Saturday’s game against MKA in the name of all those women fighting breast cancer. We all wore pink arm
bands in honor of Breast Cancer awareness month, and I was proud to honor them.
Great luck in the rest of your season! I look forward to trying to catch a game in the NCAA playoffs!
Kindest Regards,
Evangeline Minnella
West Essex HS # 4
New Heights Club Team # 17
(Pre – Event i.e. Festival, Disney letter)
Hi Coach Simmons!
Congrats on an awesome season! I saw that you won the conference and then played all the way through the final
four finally bowing out to UNC in the Final Four. I could not travel to Virginia to catch your games, but I made
sure I followed you via the internet! So exciting it all was! Your girls were awesome!
I am leaving next week for Festival, where I will be playing for our U-19 red New Heights Team. Our colors are red
and black, and I am #2. I hope to see you there. We have a college liaison available for our club team. Her name is
Jill Cosse and she is the head coach at West Essex HS in New Jersey. Her cell phone is 732 – 306 – 8332 if you need
any additional information once you get down there. Have a safe trip! See you there!
Kindest Regards,
Evangeline Minnella
West Essex HS # 4
New Heights Club Team # 2
Copyright New Heights Field Hockey Club – DO Not Reproduce without written permission